A Tan LCP

With new and gee-whiz firearms coatings popping up left and right, I came to a crossroads in which I needed to make a choice. Here is the story of how I ended up with a rather sandy looking .380.

My Ruger LCP dilemma

So I carry a back-up gun from time to time in my line of work. Occasionally in street clothes as a normal CCW practitioner, I also sometimescannot carry a full-sized handgun comfortably without printing, especially in summer. This leaves me with one of the best compact .380s of the past few years, the Ruger LCP, as my go-to BUG or CCW choice. However one slight issue with the pistol is the common complaint that the LCP's slide can often turn to a rusty mess over time. The fact that I live in a near tropical environment where shorts and flip-flops are common Christmas attire, and the LCP lives in ankle and IWB holsters can only add to this problem. With this in mind, I decided to rustproof my LCP permanently.

I called Dan Harvala at Custom Coatings (228-265-2820 danharvala@gmail.com facebook) and we decided on DuraCoat.

The LCP before...not rusty yet, but that's the whole point is to keep it that way.

What is DuraCoat?

Lauer Custom Weaponry in Chippewa Falls, WI has for years produced what they bill as one of the few firearm finishes created specifically for firearms. Other firearm finishes are "spin-off's" from other industries. DuraCoat is a two part chemical coating that is sprayed on by airbrush, conventional spray gun, or HVLP spray gun, depending on the user's preference. DuraCoat colors can be intermixed, blended and combined to form almost any shade in the color spectrum for those of you that just pine for a raspberry Glock or a bright lymon yellow Remington 870. DuraCoat, like fine wine, gets better with age. LCW states simply that, "DuraCoat wears in, not out."

Most important to me, LCW proudly states that properly DuraCoat'ed firearms will not rust in a salt environment. "One of DuraCoat's attributes is its extreme ability to resist salt corrosion. A firearm coated with DuraCoat simply will not rust...EVER!"

With that in mind, I went for a DuraCoated LCP. Dan quoted the slide as $25 to get done since it was so small but when I arrived, we came to an agreement for $50 for the whole gun, frame, and all.

A week and a talented application of DuraCoat later....

The Process

Dan stripped the frame and applied the color of my choice (Woodland Tan) over the course of a week, using secrets he refuses to impart the details of. DuraCoat is dry to the touch in 20 minutes, can be handled in 1 hour, and is ready for use overnight. Although DuraCoat will gain most of its final hardness, elasticity, and chemical resistance over a 2-3 week period, time will continue to enhance DuraCoat's characteristics over a lifetime. At the end of the week, I dropped by the shop and was thoroughly impressed. He also talked me into a beat up old salty S&W but that's another story.

I let it continue to cure for another couple weeks before applying CLP and loading it back up, and it spends most of its time in a concealed location...should it ever be needed.

That is wonderful. Did they coat the individual metal components or just coat the exterior? Does your LCP function properly? I'm just curious to the extent and thouroughness of the process. Chippewa Falls is close and I may have to take a ride out there!